Key Events of the Second Day of MIEF-2019

On 11 April the Moscow International Education Fair kept on working in pavilion 75 at VDNH. Information about the most important and interesting events of the second day of MIEF-2019 is available in the daily digest.

Spain Day at MIEF

11 April is the Spain Day at MIEF. The round table “Russian and Spanish University Cooperation in the Scientific and Technical Area. Heritage of Agustin Betancourt” on the history of the educational interaction of Russia and Spain in the scientific and technical area was one of the key events of the day. University rectors and teachers also discussed the importance of renewal of cooperation between polytechnic universities of the two countries.

Roman Samsonov, First Pro-rector of the Samara University: “We place great hopes on development of the relations with our Spanish colleagues. In the course of the joint work we have learned to efficiently position ourselves at the global market, cooperated with the leading foreign universities, now we have specialists of the global level. I believe sharing knowledge and experience is of great importance.

Besides, the program of the MIEF Spain Day included events dedicated to the evolution of the Spanish language as of the essential tool of communications in the cultural, diplomatic and commercial areas; rapid growth of interest to the Spanish language in all areas of the education system and, consequently, lack of the qualified staff at universities.

Regional Agenda of MIEF-2019

The official ceremony of signature of two memoranda between the MIEF Directorate and Governments of the Irkutsk region and Altay territory on cooperation and holding of the Second Baikal International Education Fair and of the First Altay International Education Fair was held on 11 April.

This year events with the aim of enabling constituent entities of the Federation to demonstrate regional cases and establish interregional interaction were for the first time held during MIEF-2019.

Seven regional agenda were presented at the “Region’s Hour” event. “The Hour of the Rostov Region” was aimed at search of opportunities for the decisive breakthrough towards a new level of the education development in the region; “The Hour of the Irkutsk Region” was dedicated to education in the modern social and economic environment of the Baikal region; “The Hour of the Kostroma Region” was about the early professional orientation of preschool children; “The Hour of Kuzbass” was dedicated to the Strategy of the Education System Development in the Kemerovo Region. “The Hour of St. Petersburg” became a platform for presentation of the Academy of Digital Technologies opened less than a year ago; “The Hour of the Novosibirsk Region” was dedicated to the region’s efficient ecosystem of the NTI Olympiad; during “The Hour of Altay Territory” a presentation about Ten Initiatives shaping the future image of the education system was held.

Digital University as Service

During a panel discussion universities were for the first time considered as a digital platform. During the discussion experts identified the main areas of the digital transformation of universities and discovered what digital services can be introduced into traditional activities of the university, how creation of such services will change products and process of the traditional university; what risks and threats for the university arise in the result of transformation of traditional processes and digitalization.

Vasily Tretyakov, CEO, University 2015 ANO: “We should ensure that a university be at any time ready to accept thousands of changes – in the education program, contact with students. We will create a single platform that will connect people, organizations, digital platforms so that this environment has an individual program for every student that will ensure his professional success. This is when the university will become a global service containing the whole complex of knowledge transferred via their “digital trace”.

Muslim Tamazov, Director of the Institute of History, Philology and Mass Media of the Kabardino-Balkar State University: “There are psychological difficulties: many teachers fear lest digitalization of the education process should drive out live teaching and lest teachers should be replaced by IT specialists who will design courses for students. A modern teacher should not only rely on standard teaching traditions, but also apply a creative approach to use of modern teaching methods. Digitalization should not me merely digitalization, it should resolve particular tasks”.

Power of Connections: Societies in the Informal Education

How are societies formed, are connections established and are collaborations in the additional and information education built? Who creates them and helps them develop? How do societies appear in regions and spread in them? Answering these questions, experts discussed the issue of values in societies and the power of weak connections, and raised the issue of interaction of informal societies and public structures.

Sergey Kosaretsky, panel discussion moderator: “ It is important to treat the state as a customer, investor. Besides, the society should be protected against administrative pressure and manipulations. As the number of societies increases, the issue of their interaction, ecosystem becomes pressing. Navigators of societies and sites for the interaction building are needed. MIEF could become such a site”.

Olga Rebkovets, leader of the Total Dictation project: “We, like many other societies, do not aim to prove or show something to the state. An important task of informal societies is to preserve the “student spirit”, create their own traditions”.

Within the framework of the panel discussion representatives of the professional society discussed issues related to selection of talented graduates, provision of the mobility of future students enrolled on the basis of results of olympiads, competitions and portfolio, as well as the professional orientation and the important of the enrollee support from selection until employment.

Valeria Kasamara, Pro-rector of the Higher School of Economics: “Graduates and employers fail to understand each other. The former are focused on the rapid career growth, and the latter concentrate on creation of proper conditions for employees. The main issue of employers is that most graduates do not want to work for them”.

Data in the Hands of the Primary School Teacher

Within the framework of the discussion the session supervisor – Director for the Strategy of the Yandex.Uchebnik project, Natalya Chebotar, and experts from the teaching environment discussed the tasks of the Charter of the Digital Education Environment at Schools. This project has been recently launched by Yandex.Uchebnik and the Russian Academy of Education (RAE) jointly with teachers, parents and experts.

Natalya Chebotar: “The Charter should become a social contract considering tasks and goals of the digital education environment, and most importantly – references and variety of approaches to achievement of education goals by teachers and parents, including through reference systems and prompt feedback enabled by technologies”.